Water supply control system that implements safety controls and uses simulation to prevent commands that would cause or worsen flooding

ABSTRACT

A water supply control system is disclosed that comprises a computer-implemented control system coupled to a plurality of gates, one or more pumps, and a plurality of sensors. The computer-implemented control system is configured to receive a request to transfer excess water from a non-water supply lake to a water supply lake and determine, based at least in part on data from the plurality of sensors and geographic locations of the non-water supply lake and the water supply lake, whether transferring water as requested will cause or worsen a flood event. In response to a determination that transferring water as requested will not cause or worsen a flood event, the computer-implemented control system is further configured to issue a command to cause a gate associated with a dam at the non-water supply lake to open such that water is transferred from the non-water supply lake to the water supply lake.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of: 1) U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 63/104,315 filed on Oct. 20, 2020 and entitled “Water Supply ControlSystem,” 2) U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/001,033 filed on Jun.27, 2020 and entitled “Water Supply Control System,” both of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

In a number of states, droughts are increasing in frequency, intensity,and duration, in part due to expanding population, the lag time involvedin permitting new lakes, invasive species invasion, storage volume lostto siltation, etc. Many existing dams have degraded and are in need ofrehabilitation.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a water supply control system for interconnecting aplurality of non-water supply lakes and one or more water supply lakesis disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of pipes adapted totransfer water between the plurality of non-water supply lakes and oneor more water supply lakes and a plurality of gates associated with aplurality of dams at the plurality of non-water supply lakes and the oneor more water supply lakes. The plurality of gates are adapted to adjustan amount of water flow through the plurality of pipes. The system alsocomprises one or more pumps adapted to pump water through acorresponding one or more of the plurality of pipes and a plurality ofsensors associated with one or more of the non-water supply lakes andthe water supply lakes. The system further comprises acomputer-implemented control system coupled to the plurality of gates,the one or more pumps, and the plurality of sensors and configured toreceive a request to transfer excess water from a non-water supply lakeof the plurality of non-water supply lakes to a water supply lake of theone or more water supply lakes. The non-water supply lake and the watersupply lake are associated with one or more geographic locations. Thecomputer-implemented control system is also configured to determine, viaa reservoir simulation modeling component based at least in part on datafrom the plurality of sensors associated with the non-water supply lakeand the water supply lake and the geographic locations of the non-watersupply lake and the water supply lake, whether transferring water fromthe non-water supply lake to the water supply lake will cause or worsena flood event. The computer-implemented control system is furtherconfigured to, in response to a determination that transferring waterfrom the non-water supply lake to the water supply lake will not causeor worsen a flood event, issue a command, via a monitoring, control, andcommand component, to cause a gate associated with a dam at thenon-water supply lake to open such that water is transferred from thenon-water supply lake to the water supply lake via one or more pipes ofthe plurality of pipes.

In another embodiment, a water supply control method for interconnectinga plurality of non-water supply lakes and one or more water supply lakesis disclosed. The method comprises receiving, by a computer-implementedcontrol system coupled to a plurality of gates, one or more pumps, and aplurality of sensors, a request to transfer excess water from acurrently non-water supply lake to an intermediate non-water supply lakeor a water supply lake. The currently non-water supply lake and theintermediate non-water supply lake or the water supply lake areassociated with one or more geographic locations. The method alsocomprises determining, via a reservoir simulation modeling component ofthe computer-implemented control system, based at least in part on datafrom the plurality of sensors associated with the currently non-watersupply lake and the intermediate non-water supply lake or the watersupply lake and the geographic locations of the currently non-watersupply lake and the intermediate non-water supply lake or the watersupply lake, whether transferring water from the currently non-watersupply lake to the intermediate non-water supply lake or the watersupply lake will cause or worsen a flood event. The method furthercomprises in response to a determination that transferring water fromthe currently non-water supply lake to the intermediate non-water supplylake or the water supply lake will not cause or worsen a flood event,issuing a command, via a monitoring, control, and command component ofthe computer-implemented control system, to cause a gate associated witha dam at the currently non-water supply lake to open such that water istransferred from the currently non-water supply lake to the intermediatenon-water supply lake to the water supply lake via one or more pipes.

In yet another embodiment, a water supply control system forinterconnecting a plurality of non-water supply lakes and one or morewater supply lakes is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality ofconveyance elements adapted to transfer water between the plurality ofnon-water supply lakes. The plurality of conveyance elements comprises aplurality of pipes. The system also comprises one or more water supplylakes and a plurality of gates associated with a plurality of dams atthe plurality of non-water supply lakes and the one or more water supplylakes. The plurality of gates are adapted to adjust an amount of waterflow through the plurality of pipes. The system additionally comprisesone or more pumps adapted to pump water through a corresponding one ormore of the plurality of pipes and a plurality of sensors associatedwith one or more of the non-water supply lakes and the water supplylakes. The system further comprises a computer-implemented controlsystem coupled to the plurality of gates, the one or more pumps, and theplurality of sensors and configured to receive a request to transferexcess water from a non-water supply lake of the plurality of non-watersupply lakes to a water supply lake of the one or more water supplylakes and in response to receiving the request, evaluate, via amonitoring, control, and command component, a plurality of safetycontrols. The computer-implemented control system is further configuredto implement, via the monitoring, control, and command component, atleast one safety control of the plurality of safety controls based onthe evaluation and in response to implementation of the at least onesafety control, issue a command, via the monitoring, control, andcommand component, to cause a gate associated with a dam at thenon-water supply lake to open such that water is transferred from thenon-water supply lake to the water supply lake via at least one of theplurality of conveyance elements.

These and other features will be more clearly understood from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, referenceis now made to the following brief description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein likereference numerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a water grid according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a water supply control system according toan embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computer system according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments are illustrated below, thedisclosed systems and methods may be implemented using any number oftechniques, whether currently known or not yet in existence. Thedisclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeimplementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, but may bemodified within the scope of the appended claims along with their fullscope of equivalents.

In a number of states such as Texas, droughts are increasing infrequency, intensity, and duration. This is in part due to expandingpopulation. By some estimates, Texas is projected to reach a populationof 52M by 2040, doubling the current population. Some estimates placecurrent growth at the rate of 2500 people per day. According to TWDBwebsite (www.waterfortexas.org) Texas lakes have a conservation capacityof 31.46M acre-feet. TWDB's Water Use Snapshot for 2000-2011 reportedthat for the single year worst drought of record, which was 2011, Texasused 18.09M acre-feet.

Increased frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts is also in partdue to the lag time involved in permitting new lakes. For example,siting and permitting a new reservoir is a multiple decade undertakinginvolving feasibility studies aimed at determining the suitability ofthe site and potential impacts relative to one or more of the following:(1) area meteorology, (2) basin yield, hydrology, and hydraulics, (3)stratigraphy and surface soils, (4) topography, (5) flora and fauna, (6)historical land usage, (7) potential need for remediation, (8) propertyownership, (9) social impacts, (10) water rights, and (11) economics.

Additionally, the zebra mussel invasion adds to the increased frequency,intensity, and duration of droughts. For example, the appearance of thezebra mussel has forced the temporary suspension of pumping from someTexas reservoirs and likely will continue unless and until a permanentsolution can be determined.

Further, siltation has helped cause the increased drought frequency,intensity, and duration. Siltation of a lake reduces usable storage andplaces an increased pressure on the dam due to the fact that saturatedsoil is heavier against the dam than water alone.

There are many existing dams in these states experiencing increaseddroughts, and a large number of them need rehabilitation. The NationalInventory of Dams indicates that there are 7310 dams in Texas. Many arein need of rehabilitation due to increased hazard classification,degraded structures, siltation, and/or degraded water quality. However,dam rehabilitation is often very expensive, the benefits of which arenot easily realized by the owner. For example, rehabilitation costs aretypically well into the six-figure range and often beyond, andconsequently the local annualized benefits may only be fractional.Decommissioning, as an alternative to rehabilitation, is equally ladenwith complexities. In particular, decommissioning often is burdened withenvironmental regulatory requirements to stabilize or altogether removecontaminated sediments that have accumulated from runoff over decades ofagricultural application of pesticides.

Many dams started out as rural “stock tanks” or erosion controlstructures and have since been surrounded by urbanization. Urbanizationtypically increases the quantity and peak flow rate of water thatreaches the lake, increases the frequency of significant runoff eventsand decreases water quality. The increases in quantity, flow rate, andfrequency, of course, result in degradation due to increased cycling andloading, but the decrease in water quality—water containing higher siltloads and various chemicals—leads to a decrease in both the quality andquantity of beneficial plants, that protect earthen dams and emergencyspillways from scour. Water quality also can affect virtually everymaterial used in the construction of any dam. As infrastructureencroaches into the inundation zone of a hypothetical catastrophicbreach of the dam, the design flood of the dam increases, causing thedam to become deficient.

In time, all dams degrade. Concrete degrades due to chemical attack andweathering. Steel rusts. Subsidence occurs to some degree in all earthendams. Burrowing animals, and ants create cavities that may become flowpaths leading to dam failure. Livestock allowed on an earthen dam causesdifferential soil compaction, killing grass and other ground coverintended to protect the dam from surface erosion; the differentialcompaction can also lead to cracking. Livestock and burrowing animalsalike wear paths across the top of the dam to the water's edge. Treesallowed to grow above 3 or 4 inches in diameter can penetrate deeplyinto the dam's clay core creating potential flow paths for failureparticularly after the tree dies. Wind generated waves erode theupstream face of the dam causing the slope to be effectively steeper,denuded, and less stable.

Many of the dams built in Texas were originally constructed withconsiderable federal dollars, for instance, those built by the NationalResource Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service), asan initiative of PL 74-461 (the Soil Conservation and Domestic AllotmentAct of 1936) to reduce erosion and flooding of agricultural lands. Thesedams were left to be managed by local sponsors, many of whom not onlylacked the capacity to build the dam of their own accord in the firstplace, but who now yet do not have the wherewithal to maintain, upgrade,or decommission the degraded dams. Many such dams, conceived andimplemented as regional economic stabilizers, now having reached theiruseful life expectancy (typically 50 years), lack legislativeprogrammatic support to sustain their original mission let alone anyinitiative to re-task for current needs.

Most of such dams and lakes were sited in rural areas at a time whenland values were extremely low in comparison to present day values.These dams were also permitted prior to present day environmental rigorand enjoy grandfathered environmental permissions. The loss of value dueto loss of original intended function may be very small in comparison tointrinsic value of grandfathered environmental permission andappreciated value of land as urbanization edges toward manmade lakesites.

A dam owner's liability understandably increases with the degradation ofthe dam. Many owners, however, are surprised to learn not only thattheir liability increases with downstream urbanization within the breachinundation limits of their dam, but that their design standardintensifies with such urbanization. It is not uncommon that the upgradedstandard results in the requirement for a spillway with double or triplethe capacity that was required prior to urbanization.

The 2014 Farm Bill included $262M nationwide to be used over the next 6years under the Watershed Rehabilitation Program authorized by theWatershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, Public Law 566 (amendedin 2000) providing financial assistance at the rate of 65% of actualconstruction costs. Nationwide, over 11,000 dams would qualify for thisassistance resulting in an average of less than $24,000 per structure.The Association of State Dam Safety Officials' The Cost ofRehabilitating Our Nation's Dams, 2009 estimated that $51.46B (2009dollars) would be needed to rehabilitate the nation's dams —$16B for themost critical dams.

Many lakes are not used for water supply purposes and are in watershedswith available yield. Many existing dams do not have operable spillwaysand therefore release flows downstream as pool levels rise due torunoff. Continuing, if there happens to be a water supply lakedownstream and if that lake is below conservation pool level, theupstream release will benefit the water supply lake. In many cases,however, the releases are not timely or are not in a location thatcurrently needs the water.

Thus, the pending application is directed to a water supply controlsystem that helps address the water crisis discussed above. Inparticular, the water supply control system disclosed herein leveragesnon-water supply lakes with existing dams to supply water to watersupply lakes by timely controlling water flow throughput based on waterlevels of the water supply lakes and conditions of the existing damswhile also accounting for external factors such as weather relatedevents and other events. The water supply control system may comprise acomputer-implemented controller implemented in a supervisory control anddata acquisition (SCADA) system that controls a series of gates, valves,and/or other flow controllers as well as pumps to timely adjust waterflow through one or more conveyance elements (e.g., pipes, conduits,culverts, channels, ditches, creeks, rivers, streams, aqueducts, etc.)from the non-water supply lakes to the water supply lakes when the watersupply lakes fall below a water level threshold. The SCADA system maycomprise numerous interdependent and/or autonomous elements such asprogrammable logic controllers, distributed control systems, or otherelements. The water supply control system may also comprise a pluralityof sensors, which feed data to the computer-implemented controller. Thecomputer-implemented controller may adjust the water flow through theone or more conveyance elements by controlling the series of gates andpumps based on such data from the sensors.

Prior to adjusting the water flow, a reservoir simulation modelingcomponent may interface with a contract management component and receivea request to transfer excess water from a non-water supply lake to awater supply lake based on a water contract. The contract managementcomponent may correlate the non-water supply lake and the water supplylake with their corresponding geographic locations so that the contractmanagement component can more easily interface with the reservoirsimulation modeling component. The reservoir simulation modelingcomponent may determine, based at least in part on sensor data and thegeographic locations of the non-water supply lake and the water supplylake, whether transferring water from the non-water supply lake to thewater supply lake will cause or worsen a flood event. Additionally oralternatively, the reservoir simulation modeling component maydetermine, based at least in part on sensor data, whether retainingwater could cause damage to the dam at the non-water supply lake. If thereservoir simulation modeling component determines that transferring ofwater from the non-water supply lake to the water supply lake will notcause or worsen a flood event and/or if the reservoir simulationmodeling component determines that holding the water would cause damageto the dam at the non-water supply lake, the computer-implementedcontroller may issue a command to cause a gate associated with a dam atthe non-water supply lake to open such that water is transferred fromthe non-water supply lake to the water supply lake via a pipe.Consideration of flood management in determining whether to issue thecommand to supply water from the non-water supply lake to the watersupply lake is unique because typically flood forecasting and mitigationtechnologies and water supply technologies are siloed from each other.

Since the smaller dams at the non-water supply lakes are not manned likethe larger dams at water supply lakes, the computer-implementedcontroller may evaluate and implement one or more safety controls beforeissuing the command. In addition, a software program may be run locallyat the smaller dams with a decision matrix that allows for safe, secure,unmanned, remote, semi-autonomous or autonomous operation that takesinto account sensor data and commands from an operations center.

In some embodiments there will be structural and operationaldistinctions in the dams, spillways, transport, monitoring, measurement,and control of traditionally non-water-supply lakes, unrehabilitatedwater supply lakes, rehabilitated water supply lakes, and modern watersupply lakes. In embodiments, distinct challenges of the traditionallynon-water supply lakes and their integration into the current watersupply system are solved by the differences in monitoring (at and aroundtraditionally non-water supply source and along the transit pathways tothe current water supply source) and control systems along the samesources and pathways, which are addressed with both structuraldifferences in the dams, spillways, and transit paths and in how theyare operated and are controlled using computer-implemented controlsystem. Similarly, as the use and structure of these non-water supplylakes and flow paths and water transit involving the water of such lakesis modified for this approach, new environmental challenges and risksmay be a consequence of the changing uses. In embodiments, similardistinctions in structure and operations from the more traditional watersupply lake system may be incorporated to mitigate and/or address thoserisks and challenges.

Turning now to FIG. 1 , a water grid 100 is described. The water grid100 may comprise a water supply lake 102 as well as a district treatmentplant 104 where water is treated before being transferred for use. Thewater grid 100 may also comprise a plurality of non-water supply lakes106 a, 106 b, and 106 c. While only one water supply lake 102, onedistrict treatment plant 104, and three non-water supply lakes 106 a-care illustrated in FIG. 1 , a person of ordinary skill in the art wouldrecognize that any number of such components could be present withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.

The non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c may not have been previouslyconnected to the water supply lake 102 or to each other. For example,the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c may have only had a gravityconnection with one or more other lakes. In contrast to the typicallimited connectivity of the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c, in thewater grid 100, each of the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c may beconnected to the water supply lake 102 via pipes 108 a, 108 b, and 108c.

In an embodiment, one or more of the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 cmay be connected to another of the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , non-water supply lake 106 a maybe connected via pipe 108 d to non-water supply lake 106 b, which may beconnected via pipe 108 e to non-water supply lake 106 c. Because theincreased connectivity between the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 cand the water supply lake 102, pipes 108 a-108 c as well as pipes 108 dand 108 e may be relatively small diameter pipes. For example, the pipesmay be 18 inches to 48 inches in diameter or some other diameter.

The water grid 100 may comprise a plurality of pumps 110 a, 110 b, 110c, 110 e, and 110 d. Each of the pumps 110 a-110 e may be associatedwith a pipe 108 a-108 e and used to pump water to a differentdestination through the associated pipe 108 a-108 e. For example, pump110 a may be associated with pipe 108 a and may pump water fromnon-water supply lake 106 a to water supply lake 102, pump 110 b may beassociated with pipe 108 b and may pump water from non-water supply lake106 b to water supply lake 102, and pump 110 c may be associated withpipe 108 c and may pump water from non-water supply lake 106 c to watersupply lake 102. Similarly, pump 110 d may be associated with pipe 108 dand may pump water from non-water supply lake 106 b to non-water supplylake 106 a or vis-a-versa and pump 110 e may be associated with pipe 108e and may pump water from non-water supply lake 106 c to non-watersupply lake 106 b or vis-a-versa. In an embodiment, the pumps 110 a-110e are operated as floods accumulate to distribute capacity where neededand stop pumping when the non-water supply lake 106 a-106 c reaches theconservation pool elevation (i.e., the maximum normal operating level).While only one pump 110 a-110 e is shown associated with each pipe 108a-108 e, additional pumps may be present without departing from thespirt or scope of the present disclosure.

Each of the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c may comprise a dam 112a-112 c. The dams 112 a-112 c may be rehabilitated or modified dams. Asdiscussed above, many existing dams associated with non-water supplylakes are in need of repair and can be modified with a minimum amount ofenvironmental permitting. For example, currently, most small or mediumsized dams operate with free openings or an ungated spillway, detainingexcess floodwaters while retaining only the conservation pool. In anembodiment, the rehabilitated dams 112 a-112 c/non-water supply lakes106 a-106 c have gated spillways to hold floodwaters so that they can bepiped to the water supply lake 102 or even directly to the districttreatment plant 104. Thus, the water grid 100 would include anincreasing number of rehabilitated small or medium sized dams (e.g.,dams 112 a-112 c) and their non-water supply lakes (e.g., non-watersupply lakes 106 a-106 c) that are permitted, rehabilitated, equipped,and connected to the system such as by the Water Grid Authority (WGA).The water supply lake 102 may also comprise a dam although it is notillustrated in FIG. 1 .

Traditionally, most non-water supply lakes are minimally monitored forexample for dam safety alone. In contrast, each of the non-water supplylakes 106 a-106 c comprise a plurality of sensors 116 a, 116 b, and 116c to collect data about the corresponding non-water supply lakes 106a-106 c. The sensors 116 a-116 c may be located at the non-water supplylakes 106 a-106 c, on the dams 112 a-112 c, on the pipes 108 a-108 e, orremote from the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c, the dams 112 a-112c, and/or the pipes 108 a-018 e, sensing environmental information forthe region of the water grid 100. In some embodiments, the sensors 116a-116 c may comprise one or more of a water elevation gauge on anupstream side of the dam 112 a-112 c, a flow detector and measuringdevice in the pipes 108 a-108 e, a static gauge to tell what theelevation of the water inside the dam 112 a-112 c is, a seismic gauge,or another sensor. The sensors 116 a-116 c may collect data includingwater elevation behind the dams 112 a-112 c, water elevation of a creekbelow the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c, flow rates, position ofcontrol gates 114 a, 114 b, 114 c associated with the dams 112 a-112 c,camera feeds, or other data. The water supply lake 102 may also comprisesensors 116 d to collect data about the water supply lake 102. In someembodiments, the sensors 116 a-116 c associated with the non-watersupply lakes 106 a-106 c collect more data than the sensors 116 d sincethe non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c may not be manned constantly likethe water supply lake 102 may be. Alternatively, the sensors 116 a-116 dmay collect the same or similar data.

The data from the sensors 116 a-116 c may be transmitted to a remotemonitoring and control server computer for analysis. The dams 112 a-112c may hold flood water until instructed by a supervisory control anddata acquisition (SCADA) system 118 to move excess flood water to an inneed water supply lake (e.g., water supply lake 102) for water supply.In an embodiment, the remote monitoring and control server computeranalyzing the data from the sensors 116 a-116 c is a part of the SCADAsystem 118. Having the SCADA system 118 comprise a central monitoringand control location may eliminate the need for onsite staff at eachnon-water supply lake 106 a-106 c, while also allowing for betteroversight and management of the system as a whole. Local sponsors wouldcontinue to make observations periodically and after significant runoffevents and could be tasked with managing minor repairs, but, moreimportantly, would be tasked with initiating emergency actions ifneeded. Real-time data collection and forecast modeling could provideanalysis to maintain optimal system operation. Such data would includeradar reflectivity measurements of precipitation, creek and river stagelevels at key locations, lake levels, flow rates, and demands (currentand forecast).

The SCADA system 118 for controlling the water grid 100 according to thedisclosure may include the sensors 116 a-116 d discussed above, whichmeasure and communicate data to monitoring and control facilities. TheSCADA system 118 may also include communication capabilities to obtainadditional data from other systems, such as meteorological systems,satellite imaging systems, the SCADA systems of other water grids, etc.

The water grid 100 will place a demand on small dams 112 a-112c/non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c that will provide an avenue forupgrading their condition as well as ensuring their long-termmaintenance. Upgrades may include stabilizing embankments, desilting thelake bottom, increasing dam height, increasing spillway capacity, andinstalling an operable control gate 114 a-114 c. Additional improvementsmay include pumps 110 a-110 e, sensors 116 a-116 d, gate operators,metering, and monitoring. A SCADA remote terminal unit (RTU) may adaptthe facility to the water grid 100.

In that most of these dams 112 a-112 c associated with non-water supplylakes 106 a-106 c are privately held, the owner would need to grantpermission to allow retrofitting his/her dam 112 a-112 c with thenecessary equipment (e.g., pipes 108 a-108 e, pumps 110 a-110 e, controlgates 114 a-114 c, sensors 116 a-116 c, etc.). The incentives to theowner would be retaining the conservation pool use of the non-watersupply lake 106 a-106 c, retaining ownership of the dam 112 a-112 c andnon-water supply lake 106 a-106 c, receiving necessary repairs andupgrades to the dam 112 a-112 c (risk reduction), non-water supply lake106 a-106 c and spillway, and receiving repairs as needed and annualmaintenance. The benefits to the participating state would be increasedcapture of excess floodwaters without purchasing land for a reservoir,quicker implementation, as many dams and lakes are alreadyenvironmentally permitted or grandfathered, and much soonerimplementation of additions to the water budget.

Legally, the grid operator (the Water Grid Authority or WGA) may be awater utility with the right to charge utility districts andmunicipalities for the sale and transfer of water to their facilities.The WGA may also have the power to purchase water from captive sourcesduring floods and to issue utility revenue bonds for construction.Funding for rehabilitation of the dam 112 a-112 c, spillway, and/ornon-water supply lake 106 a-106 c may come primarily from these utilityrevenue bonds but could also include contributions from the localsponsor, local water authority, end user, or developer, depending on theenduring use.

The grid 100 may be implemented with a relatively small investmentwithin years rather than decades and grow as the process is proved andrefined. Persons fulfilling the following roles may contribute toestablishing feasibility in a particular region for constructing thewater grid 100 according to the disclosure:

-   -   1) Reservoir modeling specialist—USACE typically maintains a        computer model of the reservoirs in their system that they use        for forecasting and other purposes. This model may need to be        used as a baseline for the existing system and modified in order        to assess impacts/effectiveness of proposed concept.    -   2) Meteorologist—Will correlate historical rainfall data to        smaller basins for estimating yield.    -   3) Land Appraiser—To establish the value of land that would be        required for accomplishing a project in order to understand the        full project cost.    -   4) List of Texas dam owners and GIS database—In order to        identify potential candidate sites.    -   5) Rule Curves for Texas Lakes—Gated lakes are operated        according to a set of rules intended to optimize one or more of        various conditions, such as fisheries, raw water quality for        treatment as drinking water, flood capacity, recreation,        seasonal variations, etc. Such curves are typically developed        for lakes based on years of recorded data to better govern the        operation of the lake.    -   6) Owner Interviews—Interview a representative sample of owners        to establish stakeholder interest and needs.    -   7) Dam Safety Evaluation—Obtain TCEQ's most recent evaluation        (if existing and available) for candidate sites. Conduct site        investigation to assess embankment condition, hazard category        and repair/maintenance needs.    -   8) Environmental and Regulatory Permitting    -   9) Contracting    -   10) Civil and Hydraulic Engineering    -   11) Construction Cost Estimating        While some of the present disclosure is presented with        particular reference to implementation in Texas, it will be        understood that the concepts of the present disclosure may be        applied in other geographical locations.

A representative installation would begin with a lake (e.g., one of thenon-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c) that has a conservation pool with asurface area of 100 acres (originally 125 acres but now reduced due tosiltation), a flood pool with a surface area of 300 acres, and anaverage conservation pool depth of 2 feet. Recent construction of amajor transportation route immediately downstream may have rendered thedam 112 a-112 c deficient and the dam 112 a-112 c may be in poorcondition per a recent TCEQ inspection. The lake may be situated in asub-watershed such that all of its excess flood flows are currentlypassed to the Gulf of Mexico. The cost to upgrade the structure islikely beyond the ability of the owner and local sponsors, yet the lakemay adequately serve to reduce flooding of agriculture and provides someirrigation.

Participation in the dam rehabilitation program may be voluntary. Anon-water supply lake 106 a-106 c/dam 112 a-112 c owner may apply forparticipation and undergo a screening process to determine if his/herinstallation would qualify. The owner may agree to participate in thecost of the rehabilitation but not in the cost of the adaptation to thewater grid 100. The owner's participation may be substantial (forinstance, as much as 35% of the total costs) and in the form of a lienon the property that would go away after a number of years (e.g., 25years or so). This may reduce the potential for abuse by those intendingonly to improve property value for a sale at the state's expense.

Once rehabilitated, outfitted, and connected to the system, thenon-water supply lake 106 a-106 c may resume operations in a capacityvery similar to pre-modification conditions from the standpoint of thelocal sponsors and owner. However, through the SCADA network, localprecipitation, upstream and downstream creek levels, lake level, inflowand outflow rates, all would now be collected and contained in areal-time database used for input for the reservoir modeling. When arainfall event results in the capture of excess runoff in the lake, theCommand and Control office associated with the SCADA system 118 may makea decision and issue a command (offline or preprogrammed) to pump thestored excess to the district treatment plan 104 for distribution or toanother lake (e.g., water supply lake 102 or another non-water supplylake 106 a-106 c) currently below conservation pool. Such an actionwould restore the lake to conservation pool and full design floodcapacity. Flow metering and lake level monitoring for example viasensors 116 a-116 d may provide the basis for an accurate accounting ofcaptured, pumped, and locally consumed water.

Decision points controlling the pumping of water to or from a non-watersupply lake 106 a-106 c may include the level of the non-water supplylake 106 a-106 c after the runoff event. For example, if the lake levelwas below conservation pool prior to the event and is still below oronly at conservation pool elevation after the event, then no transferwould occur. However, if the post-event level is above conservation poolelevation, then a transfer would occur until conservation pool elevationis reached. As discussed above, monitoring of conditions at thenon-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c and the system at-large and controlof the flow from the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c may bemaintained through the SCADA system 118.

Decision points controlling the pumping of water to or from a non-watersupply lake 106 a-106 c may include the temporary storage of transferwater from another source such as if the non-water supply lake 106 a-106c is used for storage due to temporary surcharge of the system, whichmight happen if other large transfers happen to be overwhelming thepiping network. Volume calculations based on real-time measurement ofinflow and outflow through the SCADA system 118, along with othernormally monitored information, may provide the necessary factors forcontrolling flow also via the SCADA system 118. Utility districts,municipalities, and/or other customers of the WGA may be billed fordelivered volumes as determined through the SCADA system 118 monitoredsite, corroborated by flow metering at the customer's site.

Turning now to FIG. 2 , a water supply control system 200 is described.In embodiments all or parts of the water supply control system 200 willbe a computer-implemented system. For example, at least some of thewater supply control system may be implemented on a computer system.Computer systems are discussed in more detail hereinafter with referenceto FIG. 4 .

The water supply control system 200 may comprise sensors 116 a-116 dassociated with the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c and water supplylake 102, a server computer 202, a contract management component 204, acontract database 206, a data storage database 208, the SCADA system118, a reservoir simulation modeling component 210, a hydrologiccomponent 212, a monitoring, control, and command component 214, and anetwork 216. While the contract management component 204 is shown asstored and executed by server computer 202, in some embodiments, thecontract management component 204 may be stored and executed by theSCADA system 118. Similarly, while the reservoir simulation modelingcomponent 210 and the hydrologic component 212 are illustrated as storedand executed by the SCADA system, such components may be stored andexecuted elsewhere, for example be server computer 202.

The contract management component 204 may analyze water contracts storedin the contract database 206 to determine when/where excess flood fromthe non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c should go. Such analysis mayinclude analyzing the conditions around each contract. For example, acontract may state that every time x has excess water, transfer water toy. In another example, a contract may state that every time x has excesswater, y will have an option to purchase such excess water. In yetanother example, a contract may state that x will purchase water from yonly if their primary water supply lake is below a threshold.

In an embodiment, each of the water contracts are correlated with theirgeographical location(s). The contract management component 204 mayinterface with the reservoir simulation modeling component 210. Thecorrelated geographic locations associated with each contract may helpthe contract management component 204 interface with the reservoirsimulation modeling component 210 as will be discussed in more detailbelow.

The data storage database 208 may store the real-time data from thesensors 116 a-116 d. Reservoir simulation modeling components do nottypically model smaller dams (e.g., dams 112 a-112 c) because such damsdo not typically comprise the sensors 116 a-116 c needed to produce thereal-time data necessary for reservoir simulation modeling. In contrast,the reservoir simulation modeling component 210 may take into accountthe real-time date from the sensors 116 a-116 d associated with thenon-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c/dams 112 a-112 c and stored in thedata storage database 208. In addition to taking into account thereal-time reservoir data and watershed data, the reservoir simulationmodeling component 210 may take into account existing volume/storage ofdams 112 a-112 c, rainfall (predicted and actual), and/or hydrologicdata from the hydrologic component 212 to determine when/where a floodwill occur as well as what elevation will a lake or stream peak at. Thereservoir simulation modeling component 210 may be used by floodfighters to control certain outlets on certain reservoirs to controlflooding.

Flood forecasting and mitigation and water supply tend to be siloedtechnologies. For example, water supply systems typically leave floodingout of the equation when moving water for water supply. In contrast, thecontract management component 204 interfaces with the reservoirsimulation modeling component 210 to confirm that a transfer of waterfrom a non-water supply lake (e.g., non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c)in one or more geographic location(s) to another location (e.g., watersupply lake 102 or district treatment plant 104) per a water contractstored in the contract database 206 does not exacerbate floodconditions. For example, if excess water from non-water supply lake 106a is to be moved to water supply lake 102 per a water contract in thecontract database 206 as determined by the contract management component204, but the reservoir simulation modeling component 210 indicates thatmovement of water in the geographic location(s) of the non-water supplylake 106 a and/or water supply lake 102 would exacerbate floodconditions, the SCADA system 118, and in particular the monitoring,control, and command component 214, would not issue an instruction tocontrol gate 114 a to open to allow transfer water via pipe 108 a to thewater supply lake 102. If, however, the reservoir simulation modelingcomponent 210 does not indicate that movement of water in the geographiclocation(s) of the non-water supply lake 106 a and/or water supply lake102 would exacerbate flood conditions, the SCADA system 118, and inparticular the monitoring, control, and command component 214, may issuean instruction to control gate 114 a to open to allow transfer water viapipe 108 a to the water supply lake 102.

Larger dams are typically manned twenty-four hours a day. However, thisis not likely feasible at the non-water supply lakes 106 a-106 c. Thus,one or more safety checks/controls may be implemented by the monitoring,control, and command component 214 before issuing an instruction to opena control gate 114 a, 114 b, or 114 c of a dam 112 a, 112 b, or 112 c.For example, the one or more safety checks/controls may prevent acontrol gate 114 a, 114 b, or 114 c from opening if certain conditionsare met. One safety check/control implemented by the monitoring,control, and command component 214 may prevent issuance of instructionsto control gates 114 a-114 c when flood stage conditions exist. Anothersafety check/control implemented by the monitoring, control, and commandcomponent 214 may prevent issuance of instructions to a control gate 114a, 114 b, or 114 c until an operator is present at the corresponding dam112 a, 112 b, or 112 c. Other safety checks/controls may exist as wellwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.

Network 216 promotes communication between the components of the watersupply control system 200. The network 216 may be any communicationnetwork including a public data network (PDN), a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN), a private network, and/or a combination.

Turning now to FIG. 3 , a method 300 is described. At block 302, acomputer-implemented control system (e.g., SCADA system 118) coupled toa plurality of gates (e.g., control gates 114 a-114 c), one or morepumps (e.g., pumps 110 a-110 e), and a plurality of sensors (e.g.,sensors 116 a-116 d) receives a request to transfer excess water from acurrently non-water supply lake (e.g., non-water supply lake 106 a, 106b, or 106 c) to an intermediate non-water supply lake (e.g., non-watersupply lake 106 a, 106 b, or 106 c) or a water supply lake (e.g., watersupply late 102). At block 304, a reservoir simulation modelingcomponent (e.g., reservoir simulation modeling component 210) of thecomputer-implemented control system determines, based at least in parton data from the plurality of sensors associated with the currentlynon-water supply lake and the intermediate non-water supply lake or thewater supply lake and the geographic locations of the non-water supplylake and the intermediate non-water supply lake or the water supplylake, whether transferring water from the currently non-water supplylake to the intermediate non-water supply lake or the water supply lakewill cause or worsen a flood event. At block 306, in response to adetermination that transferring water from the non-water supply lake tothe intermediate non-water supply lake or the water supply lake will notcause or worsen a flood event, a monitoring, command, and controlcomponent (e.g., monitoring, command, and control component 214) of thecomputer-implemented control system issues a command to cause a gate(e.g., control gate 114 a, 114 b, or 114 c) associated with a dam (e.g.,dam 112 a, 112 b, or 112 c) at the currently non-water supply lake toopen such that water is transferred from the currently non-water supplylake to the intermediate non-water supply lake to the water supply lakevia one or more pipe (e.g., pipe 108 a, 108 b, or 108 c).

FIG. 4 illustrates a computer system 380 suitable for implementing oneor more embodiments disclosed herein. The computer system 380 includes aprocessor 382 (which may be referred to as a central processor unit orCPU) that is in communication with memory devices including secondarystorage 384, read only memory (ROM) 386, random access memory (RAM) 388,input/output (I/O) devices 390, and network connectivity devices 392.The processor 382 may be implemented as one or more CPU chips.

It is understood that by programming and/or loading executableinstructions onto the computer system 380, at least one of the CPU 382,the RAM 388, and the ROM 386 are changed, transforming the computersystem 380 in part into a particular machine or apparatus having thenovel functionality taught by the present disclosure. It is fundamentalto the electrical engineering and software engineering arts thatfunctionality that can be implemented by loading executable softwareinto a computer can be converted to a hardware implementation bywell-known design rules. Decisions between implementing a concept insoftware versus hardware typically hinge on considerations of stabilityof the design and numbers of units to be produced rather than any issuesinvolved in translating from the software domain to the hardware domain.Generally, a design that is still subject to frequent change may bepreferred to be implemented in software, because re-spinning a hardwareimplementation is more expensive than re-spinning a software design.Generally, a design that is stable that will be produced in large volumemay be preferred to be implemented in hardware, for example in anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), because for largeproduction runs the hardware implementation may be less expensive thanthe software implementation. Often a design may be developed and testedin a software form and later transformed, by well-known design rules, toan equivalent hardware implementation in an application specificintegrated circuit that hardwires the instructions of the software. Inthe same manner as a machine controlled by a new ASIC is a particularmachine or apparatus, likewise a computer that has been programmedand/or loaded with executable instructions may be viewed as a particularmachine or apparatus.

Additionally, after the system 380 is turned on or booted, the CPU 382may execute a computer program or application. For example, the CPU 382may execute software or firmware stored in the ROM 386 or stored in theRAM 388. In some cases, on boot and/or when the application isinitiated, the CPU 382 may copy the application or portions of theapplication from the secondary storage 384 to the RAM 388 or to memoryspace within the CPU 382 itself, and the CPU 382 may then executeinstructions that the application is comprised of. In some cases, theCPU 382 may copy the application or portions of the application frommemory accessed via the network connectivity devices 392 or via the I/Odevices 390 to the RAM 388 or to memory space within the CPU 382, andthe CPU 382 may then execute instructions that the application iscomprised of. During execution, an application may load instructionsinto the CPU 382, for example load some of the instructions of theapplication into a cache of the CPU 382. In some contexts, anapplication that is executed may be said to configure the CPU 382 to dosomething, e.g., to configure the CPU 382 to perform the function orfunctions promoted by the subject application. When the CPU 382 isconfigured in this way by the application, the CPU 382 becomes aspecific purpose computer or a specific purpose machine.

The secondary storage 384 is typically comprised of one or more diskdrives or tape drives and is used for non-volatile storage of data andas an over-flow data storage device if RAM 388 is not large enough tohold all working data. Secondary storage 384 may be used to storeprograms which are loaded into RAM 388 when such programs are selectedfor execution. The ROM 386 is used to store instructions and perhapsdata which are read during program execution. ROM 386 is a non-volatilememory device which typically has a small memory capacity relative tothe larger memory capacity of secondary storage 384. The RAM 388 is usedto store volatile data and perhaps to store instructions. Access to bothROM 386 and RAM 388 is typically faster than to secondary storage 384.The secondary storage 384, the RAM 388, and/or the ROM 386 may bereferred to in some contexts as computer readable storage media and/ornon-transitory computer readable media.

I/O devices 390 may include printers, video monitors, liquid crystaldisplays (LCDs), touch screen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches,dials, mice, track balls, voice recognizers, card readers, paper tapereaders, or other well-known input devices.

The network connectivity devices 392 may take the form of modems, modembanks, Ethernet cards, universal serial bus (USB) interface cards,serial interfaces, token ring cards, fiber distributed data interface(FDDI) cards, wireless local area network (WLAN) cards, radiotransceiver cards, and/or other well-known network devices. The networkconnectivity devices 392 may provide wired communication links and/orwireless communication links (e.g., a first network connectivity device392 may provide a wired communication link and a second networkconnectivity device 392 may provide a wireless communication link).Wired communication links may be provided in accordance with Ethernet(IEEE 802.3), Internet protocol (IP), time division multiplex (TDM),data over cable system interface specification (DOCSIS), wave divisionmultiplexing (WDM), and/or the like. In an embodiment, the radiotransceiver cards may provide wireless communication links usingprotocols such as code division multiple access (CDMA), global systemfor mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiFi (IEEE802.11), Bluetooth, Zigbee, narrowband Internet of things (NB IoT), nearfield communications (NFC), or radio frequency identity (RFID). Theradio transceiver cards may promote radio communications using 5G, 5GNew Radio, or 5G LTE radio communication protocols. These networkconnectivity devices 392 may enable the processor 382 to communicatewith the Internet or one or more intranets. With such a networkconnection, it is contemplated that the processor 382 might receiveinformation from the network, or might output information to the networkin the course of performing the above-described method steps. Suchinformation, which is often represented as a sequence of instructions tobe executed using processor 382, may be received from and outputted tothe network, for example, in the form of a computer data signal embodiedin a carrier wave.

Such information, which may include data or instructions to be executedusing processor 382 for example, may be received from and outputted tothe network, for example, in the form of a computer data baseband signalor signal embodied in a carrier wave. The baseband signal or signalembedded in the carrier wave, or other types of signals currently usedor hereafter developed, may be generated according to several methodswell-known to one skilled in the art. The baseband signal and/or signalembedded in the carrier wave may be referred to in some contexts as atransitory signal.

The processor 382 executes instructions, codes, computer programs,scripts which it accesses from hard disk, floppy disk, optical disk(these various disk based systems may all be considered secondarystorage 384), flash drive, ROM 386, RAM 388, or the network connectivitydevices 392. While only one processor 382 is shown, multiple processorsmay be present. Thus, while instructions may be discussed as executed bya processor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially,or otherwise executed by one or multiple processors. Instructions,codes, computer programs, scripts, and/or data that may be accessed fromthe secondary storage 384, for example, hard drives, floppy disks,optical disks, and/or other device, the ROM 386, and/or the RAM 388 maybe referred to in some contexts as non-transitory instructions and/ornon-transitory information.

In an embodiment, the computer system 380 may comprise two or morecomputers in communication with each other that collaborate to perform atask. For example, but not by way of limitation, an application may bepartitioned in such a way as to permit concurrent and/or parallelprocessing of the instructions of the application. Alternatively, thedata processed by the application may be partitioned in such a way as topermit concurrent and/or parallel processing of different portions of adata set by the two or more computers. In an embodiment, virtualizationsoftware may be employed by the computer system 380 to provide thefunctionality of a number of servers that is not directly bound to thenumber of computers in the computer system 380. For example,virtualization software may provide twenty virtual servers on fourphysical computers. In an embodiment, the functionality disclosed abovemay be provided by executing the application and/or applications in acloud computing environment. Cloud computing may comprise providingcomputing services via a network connection using dynamically scalablecomputing resources. Cloud computing may be supported, at least in part,by virtualization software. A cloud computing environment may beestablished by an enterprise and/or may be hired on an as-needed basisfrom a third party provider. Some cloud computing environments maycomprise cloud computing resources owned and operated by the enterpriseas well as cloud computing resources hired and/or leased from a thirdparty provider.

In an embodiment, some or all of the functionality disclosed above maybe provided as a computer program product. The computer program productmay comprise one or more computer readable storage medium havingcomputer usable program code embodied therein to implement thefunctionality disclosed above. The computer program product may comprisedata structures, executable instructions, and other computer usableprogram code. The computer program product may be embodied in removablecomputer storage media and/or non-removable computer storage media. Theremovable computer readable storage medium may comprise, withoutlimitation, a paper tape, a magnetic tape, magnetic disk, an opticaldisk, a solid state memory chip, for example analog magnetic tape,compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) disks, floppy disks, jump drives,digital cards, multimedia cards, and others. The computer programproduct may be suitable for loading, by the computer system 380, atleast portions of the contents of the computer program product to thesecondary storage 384, to the ROM 386, to the RAM 388, and/or to othernon-volatile memory and volatile memory of the computer system 380. Theprocessor 382 may process the executable instructions and/or datastructures in part by directly accessing the computer program product,for example by reading from a CD-ROM disk inserted into a disk driveperipheral of the computer system 380. Alternatively, the processor 382may process the executable instructions and/or data structures byremotely accessing the computer program product, for example bydownloading the executable instructions and/or data structures from aremote server through the network connectivity devices 392. The computerprogram product may comprise instructions that promote the loadingand/or copying of data, data structures, files, and/or executableinstructions to the secondary storage 384, to the ROM 386, to the RAM388, and/or to other non-volatile memory and volatile memory of thecomputer system 380.

In some contexts, the secondary storage 384, the ROM 386, and the RAM388 may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium or acomputer readable storage media. A dynamic RAM embodiment of the RAM388, likewise, may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readablemedium in that while the dynamic RAM receives electrical power and isoperated in accordance with its design, for example during a period oftime during which the computer system 380 is turned on and operational,the dynamic RAM stores information that is written to it. Similarly, theprocessor 382 may comprise an internal RAM, an internal ROM, a cachememory, and/or other internal non-transitory storage blocks, sections,or components that may be referred to in some contexts as non-transitorycomputer readable media or computer readable storage media.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spiritor scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is notto be limited to the details given herein. For example, the variouselements or components may be combined or integrated in another systemor certain features may be omitted or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating witheach other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through someinterface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically,mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions,and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could bemade without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A water supply control system for interconnectinga plurality of non-water supply lakes and one or more water supplylakes, the system comprising: a plurality of pipes adapted to transferwater between the plurality of non-water supply lakes and the one ormore water supply lakes; a plurality of gates associated with aplurality of dams at the plurality of non-water supply lakes and the oneor more water supply lakes, the plurality of gates adapted to adjust anamount of water flow through the plurality of pipes; one or more pumpsadapted to pump water through a corresponding one or more of theplurality of pipes; a plurality of sensors associated with one or moreof the non-water supply lakes and the one or more water supply lakes;and a computer-implemented control system coupled to the plurality ofgates, the one or more pumps, and the plurality of sensors andconfigured to: receive a request to transfer excess water from anon-water supply lake of the plurality of non-water supply lakes to awater supply lake of the one or more water supply lakes, wherein thenon-water supply lake and the water supply lake are associated with oneor more geographic locations, determine, via a reservoir simulationmodeling component based at least in part on data from the plurality ofsensors associated with the non-water supply lake and the water supplylake and the one or more geographic locations of the non-water supplylake and the water supply lake, whether transferring water from thenon-water supply lake to the water supply lake will cause or worsen aflood event, and in response to a determination that transferring waterfrom the non-water supply lake to the water supply lake will not causeor worsen a flood event, issue a command, via a monitoring, control, andcommand component, to cause a gate associated with a dam at thenon-water supply lake to open such that water is transferred from thenon-water supply lake to the water supply lake via one or more pipes ofthe plurality of pipes.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the commandfurther causes a pump to pump the water from the non-water supply laketo the water supply lake via the one or more pipes.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, wherein a second command is issued via the monitoring, control,and command component based on sensor data to cause the gate to closeand the pump to stop pumping in response to the non-water supply lakereaching its conservation pool elevation.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the data from the plurality of sensors comprises one or more ofwater elevation behind one or more of the plurality of dams, waterelevation of a creek below the non-water supply lake, flow rates,position of one or more of the plurality of gates, or a camera feed froma camera located at the dam at the non-water supply lake.
 5. The systemof claim 1, wherein the one or more geographic locations are received inthe request.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the request to transferexcess water from the non-water supply lake to the water supply lake isfrom a contract management component based on a water contract stored ina contract database.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the water supplylake is below its conservation pool elevation prior to transfer of waterfrom the non-water supply lake to the water supply lake.
 8. The systemof claim 1, wherein the reservoir simulation modeling componentdetermines whether transferring water from the non-water supply lake tothe water supply lake will cause or worsen a flood event based furtheron one or more of existing volume of one or more dams of the pluralityof dams, actual rainfall, predicted rainfall, or hydrologic data from ahydrologic component.
 9. A water supply control method forinterconnecting a plurality of non-water supply lakes and one or morewater supply lakes, the method comprising: receiving, by acomputer-implemented control system coupled to a plurality of gates, oneor more pumps, and a plurality of sensors, a request to transfer excesswater from a currently non-water supply lake to an intermediatenon-water supply lake or a water supply lake, wherein the currentlynon-water supply lake and the intermediate non-water supply lake or thewater supply lake are associated with one or more geographic locations;determining, via a reservoir simulation modeling component of thecomputer-implemented control system, based at least in part on data fromthe plurality of sensors associated with the currently non-water supplylake and the intermediate non-water supply lake or the water supply lakeand the one or more geographic locations of the currently non-watersupply lake and the intermediate non-water supply lake or the watersupply lake, whether transferring water from the currently non-watersupply lake to the intermediate non-water supply lake or the watersupply lake will cause or worsen a flood event; and in response to adetermination that transferring water from the currently non-watersupply lake to the intermediate non-water supply lake or the watersupply lake will not cause or worsen a flood event, issuing a command,via a monitoring, control, and command component of thecomputer-implemented control system, to cause a gate associated with adam at the currently non-water supply lake to open such that water istransferred from the currently non-water supply lake to the intermediatenon-water supply lake or the water supply lake via one or more pipes.10. The method of claim 9, wherein the command further causes a pump topump the water from the currently non-water supply lake to theintermediate non-water supply lake or the water supply lake via the oneor more pipes.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising issuing asecond command, via the monitoring, control, and command component basedon sensor data, to cause the gate to close and the pump to stop pumpingin response to the currently non-water supply lake reaching itsconservation pool elevation.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the datafrom the plurality of sensors comprises one or more of water elevationbehind the dam, water elevation of a creek below the currently non-watersupply lake, flow rates, position of one or more of the plurality ofgates, or a camera feed from a camera located at the dam at thecurrently non-water supply lake.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein theone or more geographic locations are received in the request.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the request to transfer excess water fromthe currently non-water supply lake to the intermediate non-water supplylake or the water supply lake is from a contract management componentbased on a water contract stored in a contract database.
 15. The methodof claim 9, wherein the intermediate non-water supply lake or the watersupply lake is below its conservation pool elevation prior to transferof water from the currently non-water supply lake to the intermediatenon-water supply lake or the water supply lake.
 16. The method of claim9, wherein determining, by the reservoir simulation modeling component,whether transferring water from the currently non-water supply lake tothe intermediate non-water supply lake or the water supply lake willcause or worsen a flood event is based further on one or more ofexisting volume of one or more dams, actual rainfall, predictedrainfall, or hydrologic data from a hydrologic component.
 17. A watersupply control system for interconnecting a plurality of non-watersupply lakes and one or more water supply lakes, the system comprising:a plurality of conveyance elements adapted to transfer water between theplurality of non-water supply lakes and one or more water supply lakes,wherein the plurality of conveyance elements comprises a plurality ofpipes; a plurality of gates associated with a plurality of dams at theplurality of non-water supply lakes and the one or more water supplylakes, the plurality of gates adapted to adjust an amount of water flowthrough the plurality of pipes; one or more pumps adapted to pump waterthrough a corresponding one or more of the plurality of pipes; aplurality of sensors associated with one or more of the non-water supplylakes and the water supply lakes; and a computer-implemented controlsystem coupled to the plurality of gates, the one or more pumps, and theplurality of sensors and configured to: receive a request to transferexcess water from a non-water supply lake of the plurality of non-watersupply lakes to a water supply lake of the one or more water supplylakes, in response to receiving the request, evaluate, via a monitoring,control, and command component, a plurality of safety controls,implement, via the monitoring, control, and command component, at leastone safety control of the plurality of safety controls based on theevaluation, and in response to implementation of the at least one safetycontrol, issue a command, via the monitoring, control, and commandcomponent, to cause a gate associated with a dam at the non-water supplylake to open such that water is transferred from the non-water supplylake to the water supply lake via at least one of the plurality ofconveyance elements, wherein the plurality of safety controls compriseprevention of issuance of the command until an operator is present atthe dam.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of safetycontrols comprises determination of whether flood stage conditions existat one or more geographic locations associated with the non-water supplylake and the water supply lake and prevention of issuance of the commandwhen flood stage conditions exist at the one or more geographiclocations.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer-implementedcomputer system is further configured to determine, via a reservoirsimulation modeling component based at least in part on data from theplurality of sensors associated with the non-water supply lake and thewater supply lake, whether transferring water from the non-water supplylake to the water supply lake will cause or worsen a flood event, andwherein the command is issued via the monitoring, control, and commandcomponent in response to a determination that transferring water fromthe non-water supply lake to the water supply lake will not cause orworsen a flood event.